Ending the Countdown
by My Kind of Crazy
Summary: Gilbert is a teenage boy that hates his life and has planned a day to kill himself. In another universe, Prussia is an ex-nation that is sick of being treated like nothing and has also planned his own death date. However, one day the two wake up in the other's universe, not knowing a thing about where they are. Can they fix the lives that they've been been thrown into?
1. Chapter 1: Surrender

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any of its characters. Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya**

**This will be rated M for themes relating to suicide, self harm, and bullying. Also rated for some cursing.**

**The Awesome Blog Made By Me For Me**

_Hey guys, Gilbert here with an actually important blog update. I...well...I honestly thought it would be easier this way. Huh, the awesome blog. I remember when I was all excited to make this site, I was so convinced I could reach out to more people and change something. I didn't care what it was as long as I could feel like I had done my part to make this world a bit less depressing, know what I mean? Apparently not. All I've gotten these past few months is hate from school friends and family members who don't enjoy taking me seriously. I've started to deal with hate on this blog too. People from school or strangers who somehow stumbled upon my blog have forced hate through the blog, through my laptop screen, into the air in my room and house so it's become something I have to breathe in everyday. It's become a form of addiction, inhaling those comments so they don't have to happen in school or public around my brother. I can deal with you guys hating me but Ludwig is off-limits. I will seriously kill you if you hurt my brother in any way. ... Ludwig thinks that because he doesn't hear those comments anymore that it means it's all done with, that we've outgrown our hateful phase. We know better here, don't we? Now, the more important business: the countdown. I'm sure you've all noticed it by now, the cool looking blue countdown on the side of the page. It took me forever to figure out how to add that. Would have asked for help but that would have defeated the purpose. Anyway, it's set for sixteen days so it goes off on New Year's Eve midnight exactly. A bit of a dramatic flair I couldn't help. When that goes off, when the timer reaches 00:00:00, you'll all get your one big wish. I won't be here anymore, not on this place that hates me. I'll try my hardest to get to wherever you go after the trigger is pulled, the knife is stained. Are you looking forward to it? I am. Been fun while it lasted guys. See you later._

**Comments: **

** Comment by Anonymous: **Lol, I'm calling it now, it's a prank. Stop freaking out, both Gilbert and everyone in the comments. No one would seriously do this.

**Comment by Anonymous: **Fucking attention whore. anything for some attention, I've lost all faith in humanity. Suicide is not a joke, don't turn it into one

**Comment by Anonymous: **Finally! If you don't do it tons of people will be disappointed in you.

**Comment by Anonymous: **You're a total and complete idiot

**Comment by Anonymous: **_Comment Deleted_

**Comment by Anonymous: ^**don't you think that's a bit harsh? I think he just needs help. We should try to be a bit more understanding, we don't know what he's going through, do we?^

**Comment by Anonymous: **^shut up. You're just as much as an attention seeker as Gilbert is being. I don't think that what that person said was harsh and if Gilbert felt the need to get rid of it it, it proves that it's most likely true because people can't handle the truth. We know what he's going through because he whines about it on here all the time before trying to instigate more anger at him through crap like this. So shut your mouth and let the grown ups talk. ^

* * *

Somewhere in another world, Prussia pulled apart the page of his diary. _Yes, a diary, _he thought to himself as he ran his fingers over the paper's familiar feeling. _A diary can be a very tactical weapon against enemies and to Hell what Austria has to say about that. _Prussia began to smirk but it froze on his face when the book fell open to his last entry, the one he had written yesterday after the world meeting. With a scowl at the memory of the meeting, he turned the page angrily. It ripped a bit from his force but that had happened a lot recently. Prussia was just glad it wasn't a paper cut again. With a determination only the former nation could have, the blue pen in his hand hit the paper, creating both dents and words.

_It's way too quiet for me now and West isn't around to fix it. I'm not really sure where he is, just that he went somewhere with Italy a couple of hours ago. They offered to let me go with them but I could tell that Italy just really wanted to be with West and the other way around. No way was I gonna be a third wheel! Besides, West should spend more time with people who make him happy and Italy is really good at putting a smile on my brother's face. Even though West complains about him it's still a better way to spend his time. He'll need someone else to look after once I'm out-of-the-way._

Prussia stopped writing for a second. The ink to the pen, still pressed against the paper, began to form a large dot. There had been too many of those too in past entries. Prussia let a few seconds pass to clear his head before continuing.

_Every time I hold this book it seems to be a different weight. Yesterday after the meeting, after they had all mocked my country's and people's losses..._

Prussia had to stop himself from pressing too hard against the page in fear of ripping it.

_...Yesterday it had felt too heavy with too many pages to fill out. It felt like it was too long to wait and I wanted nothing more than to cheat and rip and burn the remaining pages just so I could get to the end reward. But now it feels too light. There's not enough pages for all the things I want to do before I go, all the things I need to do. But I intend to do it. I intend to follow through on the promise I made in this book a few pages ago. Once this book is filled out with no more blank pages, I will allow myself to fade away. Because I no longer have a country or anything really tying me to this earth besides the people who've come to look down on me, it will be easy. I'm sure the Allies and Hungary and Austria and the rest of the damn world will be glad. They said about as much in the World Meeting. I hope West will be happier that I won't be annoying him._

Prussia stopped again but not out of emotion. This time he flipped through the remaining pages, counting in excited German and grinning wryly.

_Only sixteen days left._

* * *

**Ummm...Author's Note?**

**Hey guys! First time fanfiction writer Charlotte here! I hope you will be here to read the rest of my story and that you enjoyed this chapter. However, if you see anything that I did wrong or something that I could have done better, please do not hesitate to tell me.**

**I don't really think there is anything else I have to say so please leave a review. Any sort of feedback is welcome.**


	2. Chapter 2: Out Of Place

**New Chapter! Wooh! **

**Hey, thanks to the people that left a review or followed, it means a lot. **

**Same warnings as last time. Now onto the chapter**

* * *

Gilbert was guilty for keeping secrets, especially from his brother. It had almost become a habit. He didn't even need to think as he came up with an answer for every question Ludwig could come up with.

"Why don't you go out anymore?" Ludwig would question.

"But being alone is too much fun!" Gilbert told his brother with a wide smile.

"Did you stay home again? Vati says you grades are going down," Ludwig would say.

"Oh, come one, I wasn't feeling well!" Gilbert would shout, appearing wounded at his brother's accusation.

"Brother, where did you get those scars?"

It had been a while since Ludwig had asked anything. It was the morning after Gilbert had made his countdown announcement online. He grinned carelessly but yanked the long sleeves of his gray t-shirt further down towards his wrists to cover what Ludwig had looked at.

"You know the stray cats around the neighborhood?" he asked, shoving a forkful of pancake into his mouth. Ludwig groaned and placed his head in his hands.

"Was it the white one again? Gilbert, I told you not to go near it," he scolded. Gilbert sighed in relief.

"But it's so cute," he argued. Ludwig merely shook his head.

"Isn't the bird enough?" he asked, still hiding behind his hands. Gilbert stood to put his dishes away but ruffled his brother's hair as he passed him.

"Nope! Now let's go, Vati will kill us if we're late again."

* * *

Gilbert's smile faded once he and Ludwig parted ways at school. Feliciano had barely dragged Ludwig away when a large hand clamped down on Gilbert's shoulder. With a grimace, he turned around to look at Ivan Braginsky.

"What do you want, Ivan?" he asked. The Russian smiled sweetly. It made Gilbert feel sick.

"My sister showed me what you posted. A countdown is a bit dramatic, don't you think?" he asked with a small head tilt to the side.

"I assume you would prefer me to do it now, ja?" Gilbert's crimson eyes did a quick scan of the halls to see who was around. A few students were standing at their lockers with an amused expression. The closest to him, Elizaveta Héderváry, scoffed and slammed her locker so she could turn to face him.

"Don't say things you don't mean Gilbert, it gets everyone's hopes up," she said. Gilbert felt a flare of hurt burn in his chest but he ignored it with a cocky grin.

"You too, Liza?" he asked even though she had taken part in the bullying for the past month or so. The Hungarian girl leaned back on the lockers and scowled.

"Don't call me that. You're lucky Roderich isn't here," she said. Gilbert barked a laugh once the girl's boyfriend was mentioned.

"Do not act so tough, _malyutka. _We all saw your post. But, I wonder what your brother would say if we showed him," Ivan said. Gilbert froze and stared at the Russian with wide eyes.

"You...you wouldn't," he growled. Ivan smiled a bit bigger and grabbed Gilbert's shoulder. He shoved the smaller boy against the lockers. Elizaveta stepped to the side and giggled. _  
_

"Wouldn't I?" he asked, adding more force on Gilbert's shoulder. Gilbert began to squirm beneath him.

"What the hell are you doing at my locker?" a familiar voice shouted from down the hall. Ivan let go and backed away. Lovino Vargas came rushing down. He stopped and glared threateningly at Gilbert.

"Are you going to move, Potato Bastard?" he asked. Gilbert quickly moved out of the way. Elizaveta began to walk towards her class, purposefully knocked into Gilbert as she did so. The boy grabbed his shoulder and winced.

"I thought my brother was 'potato bastard'," he complained, not quite looking at Lovino. The Italian laughed haughtily.

"You're both Potato Bastards but I guess you can be number two," he said.

"Why am I number two?" Gilbert asked. Lovino sighed as he closed his locker.

"Because my _fratello stupido_ likes your _fratello stupido. _Besides, from what I've heard you are a number two. A second best to put it plainly," he said. Gilbert ignored the last comment and didn't show emotion until Lovino had turned his back and walked away.

* * *

The rest of the day went fast but the rest of the day was Hell. Gilbert put up with teachers that scolded him for zoning out and students that snickered after he apologized. At lunch he was confronted Roderich Edelstein. The Austrian made a scene of shouting at Gilbert for making light of a serious matter and that it would work just as will if he killed himself without the theatrics. Gilbert didn't reply and kept his expression neutral as he stood to leave. He allowed his eyes to flit across the cafeteria just to make sure that Ludwig wasn't there. He sighed in relief when he saw that he wasn't. A part of him, though, wished that his friends Francis Bonnefoy and Antonio Carriedo were there but they were on a study abroad trip that wouldn't return for a month. As Gilbert began to turn towards the doors, he bumped into someone who had walked behind him, Lovino again. He turned abruptly to apologize but only made things worse as his arm came up at the bottom of Lovino's tray, flipping it and throwing off his own balance. Gilbert fell to the floor clumsily and milk spilled from Lovino's overturned tray onto his head.

"Watch it, Potato Bastard Two!" Lovino shouted angrily. Gilbert attempted to apologize again and began to stand. He froze, however, when he heard it.

Laughter.

It started off quiet. Giggles and snickers that grew into full-blown split-your-sides laughter.

Gilbert didn't want to look up. He didn't want to face the scene he was too used to. He didn't want to see Natalia's smug grin or Elizaveta's cruel smile when he glanced to her for help. He didn't need to know that she had Roderich whispering a comment about the scene into her ear, a comment she would repeat just to make everyone laugh harder. He didn't need to see Lovino sneering down at him, his mouth forming insults that were muted by the blood rushing through Gilbert's ears.

So he didn't. Gilbert closed his eyes and felt sick. He pushed himself and turned, standing tall to walk out with milk still dripping down his face. He opened his eyes and kept his gaze on the exit so he didn't have to see anything.

So he didn't see Arthur Kirkland's concerned glance or Alfred Jones standing, ready to help. He couldn't see Kiku Honda looking on with a kind, sympathetic look. He didn't see Matthew Williams asking anyone if Gilbert was okay.

And, as the doors slammed shut behind him, he didn't see Ludwig watching his humiliated brother run off.

* * *

The first thing Gilbert did when he got home was log onto his blog. There were only a few new comments on his last post.

**Comment by Anonymous: **Why can't he just get it over now?

**Comment by Anonymous: **This is so fucking stupid

**Comment by Anonymous: **HAHAHA This idiot! Oh my God this made my day! LOL :P

**Comment by Anonymous: **^I agree! HA HA HA!

Gilbert winced. His hand reached towards the drawer beside him. It was another habit, a skill he had mastered. His hand wrapped around a cold metal object. He didn't look away from the words on the screen when he rolled up a sleeve and placed the razor against him arm.

_HA_

He pushed, breaking skin.

_HA_

He pulled slowly towards himself, too used to the pain to cry out.

_HA _

Blood bubbled out from the cut. He repeated the process over and over. Minutes passed until he set it down, satisfied with the new scars. He looked down at his arms and held back a sob. He had no right to cry, he told himself, he was the one who did this. Gilbert closed his eyes and smiled grimly.

"Ha," he whispered.

_HA_

* * *

Prussia didn't know what he expected when he decided to go outside or what even compelled him to do so. All he knew was that Germany had been gone too long and the empty house was getting depressing.

So he went outside.

The sun nearly blinded him and he walked around with a hand held to forehead for shade. He used his free hand to hold his phone to his ear, calling his brother for the third time. When he was sent to voice-mail again, he leaned against the closest building and sighed.

"And then - oh, hello..." a familiar voice said. Prussia turned his head to find England and America watching him. He groaned and shoved his phone into his pocket.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, addressing England as he was the one who said hello.

"Looking for your brother. He left his coat at the meeting and I'm sure he like it back. This git decided to follow me, I've no idea why. What are you doing here, does Germany still let you out? That's funny, I didn't think he would after that incident," he said. Gilbert thought of the last world meeting and crossed his arms defensively.

"You started insulting my country! I had every right to defend it," he snarled. America laughed.

"Dude, you don't even have a country to defend. You threw a fit and Germany had to chase after you once you ran out to keep you from doing something stupid. It was actually pretty funny. Not to mention childish," America said, still laughing as he slung his arm over England's shoulders. England grimaced a bit at the action but didn't do anything else than send an annoyed look towards America.

"It wasn't childish and you damn well know it," Prussia said. England sighed.

"Please, you probably like the attention it gets you. Everyone knows that Germany is the responsibly one. Really, you let your younger brother treat you like a toddler," he said.

"And you let your's treat you like a date," Prussia snapped back. America quickly removed his arm in shock. England narrowed his eyes.

"It's exactly those kind of comments that makes everyone hate you. Then again, it is the only thing left you can do. Just face it Prussia, no one needs you," he said. Prussia flinched from the way England said it, like he wasn't trying to be cruel and just stating facts. As Prussia tried to think of a response, his phone began to ring.

"Ja?" he answered it, keeping his eyes on he two blondes in front of him.

"Prussia?" came the voice from the other end, clearly Germany. Prussia grinned.

"West! What do you need?" he asked with a pointed look towards England and America.

"What? Nothing, you called me. I should be asking what you need," Germany replied. Prussia's smile wavered.

"Me? I don't need anything. But I am out and about, are you sure you don't need me to do something for you?" he asked.

_Please West, say you do..._

"No. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, though I appreciate the offer," Germany said. Prussia tried to think of a way that he could prove that his brother needed him, in some way or another.

"England's here, he has your jacket. I'll bring it home for you, I'll even wash it," he said, ignoring England's amused expression. He reached out for the jacket in England's hand but the other nation pulled back causing Prussia to stumble forward. While the ex-nation attempted to regain his balance, America reached forward and plucked the phone from his hand.

"Yo, German dude! What's up? ... Yeah, sure. He's right here," he said. Prussia held out his hand for the phone, certain that West was asking for him. His mouth dropped open when the phone was handed to England, who grabbed it smugly.

"Yes, Germany? ...Yes, you left your jacket at the meeting the other day, I thought it best to return it...We ran into him on the street...No...Right, I'll take it to your house...I'll take him too...Yes, have a good day...Goodbye," he said. Prussia narrowed his eyes and felt certain they were speaking about him. He tried to think of what his brother could be saying but didn't like what his mind came up with. When England placed the phone back in Prussia's still outstretched hand, he blinked and grabbed it just a bit too tightly.

"Like I said Prussia," England stated in a tired tone, "no one needs you. Not as a nation, not as a brother, and most definitely not as a person."

Prussia grinned sarcastically before turning and slamming his fist into the wall behind him. Ignoring the pain that shot through his arm, he pushed past the countries, _real countries, he thought, _and ran home.

* * *

**A/N Hmm...I focused on Gilbert way more than I focused on Prussia...and I have no excuse for it...hmm...**

**Hey! Anyways, thanks for reading another chapter and I apologize deeply and in advance for any mistakes I may have made.**

**Once again, please leave feedback because I would love to hear what you liked/didn't like or thought I could add or make better.**

**Translations:**

**Malyutka: Russian for Little One**

**Fratello Stupido: Italian for Stupid Brother**

**Ja: German for Yes**

**Vati: German for dad**

**Thanks again!**

**:3**


	3. Chapter 3: These Things I Do

**And another chapter! **

* * *

Gilbert didn't notice when Ludwig came home. He was too busy typing up a new post and responding to a few select comments.

"Brother, are you here?" Ludwig called from outside Gilbert's door. He knocked a few times but Gilbert ignored it, a bit too focused on a certain anonymous user hell-bent on making every response into a joke about spilled milk. He was staring at the screen, contemplating how to respond to the most recent taunt when Ludwig threw the door open. At the sudden noise Gilbert jumped up and spun around.

"Oh hey! You scared me! What did I say about knocking?" he joked. He closed the page of hateful comments before Ludwig could see what it was. The younger brother folded his arms.

"I did knock," he stated flatly. Gilbert self-consciously tugged at the end of his sleeves though he knew there was no way Ludwig could see the fresh cuts.

"Ah, sorry. I was just working on something," he said. Ludwig seemed unconvinced.

"Shouldn't you have worked at school? You went home early again," he said. Gilbert tried to think of an excuse he hadn't used on Ludwig yet.

"I didn't have my essay for English done and it was worth half a grade. I figured if I told her I was sick that I would get an extra day or something," he finally said, the lie rolling off his tongue easily. Ludwig frowned.

"Oh, so you're certain it has nothing to do with the dried milk in your hair," he said. Gilbert felt something like a rock drop to the bottom of his stomach. He forced his smile to stay and for a laugh to make its way through his lips.

"You know how clumsy I get when I'm distracted. I was trying to drink milk and type at the same time again and -"

"I saw what happened," Ludwig snapped harshly. Gilbert froze, a too wide smile still on his face. It shrank just a bit as he thought.

"Did you hear anything?" he blurted out. He had to know if Ludwig had heard what Roderich was saying about his post. If his brother knew about the countdown or the plan...

"Besides laughing? Nein," Ludwig said. Gilbert allowed a bit of relief to fill him.

"Good! Lovino was cursing and I can't let my little brother to hear that," he laughed.

"Gilbert, I hear you curse all the time. Besides, that's not what I needed to talk to you about," Ludwig said. Gilbert tried to imagine what they would need to talk about if Ludwig didn't know about the countdown. He raised a pale eyebrow and waited for his brother to continue. His younger brother sighed and dropped his arms.

"I spoke to Roderich and Elizaveta again. It needs to stop. You need to stop," he said simply. Gilbert tensed as he had a feeling of what they had spoken about.

_That damn Austrian. He lied to my brother again I bet. I bet they all did. I wouldn't be surprised..._

"Stop what?" he asked, hoping that it was a different topic than every other time Roderich spoke with Ludwig. That hope shattered when Ludwig looked up with a vicious glare.

"You need to stop making scenes and drawing attention to yourself," he explained harshly. Gilbert's jaw dropped.

_Okay, so it is different. A bit vague, but at least it's something new. _

"What! Are you freaking kidding me?" he asked. Ludwig's glare lessened a bit, but not by much. If anything, it was a form of disappointment.

"I told you, I saw what happened. You ran out to ditch school without apologizing to Lovino or Roderich," Ludwig said.

"What did I need to apologize to Roderich for?" Gilbert screeched.

_Come on! Don't keep me in the dark any longer, tell me what the liars said this time!_

"He and Lovino had to clean up the mess you made when the milk spilled. Not to mention that they had told me how it happened," he said. Gilbert leaned back on his desk and closed his eyes. Now they were getting somewhere, even if it was a place Gilbert didn't want to be.

"What did he say this time?" he asked slowly, his voice a bit too calm. Ludwig didn't seem to notice as he recounted the story he had been told. Gilbert braced himself and held his breath.

"He said that you had harrassd Elizaveta again this morning. When he confronted you about it, you got upset and tried to leave. That's when you rushed into Lovino and the milk tipped over. I saw that part at least," he said. Gilbert let out his breath in a long hiss.

"How was I harassing her? Did he say?" he asked.

"Brother, we all know how you can get," Ludwig said. Gilbert grit his teeth and closed his eyes even tighter.

"What. Did. He. Say?" he asked again. Ludwig dropped his arms to the side in defeat.

"He told me that you were 'grabbing' at her and making rude suggestions. You continued this behavior despite obvious protests. Ivan had to tell you to leave her be," he said. Gilbert refused to open his eyes. He counted to ten, multiple times, until he felt that his voice wouldn't lash out in denials. He knew from experience that the multiple 'witnesses' that Ludwig had spoken to were much more sincere than he could ever be. After a while, Ludwig continued to speak.

"Don't try to come up with another excuse, both Elizaveta and Ivan were able to confirm it. You're lucky I don't call our Vater. He would-"

"Vater never comes home anyway!" Gilbert shouted, all calm he had forced himself to gain gone. His eyes flew open angrily.

Ludwig said nothing. Gilbert ran a hand through his hair and scowled at the feeling of the dried milk.

"Have you ever stopped to listen to what I tell you? Do you really think I hadn't learned my lesson with Liza? She hates me, Roderich hates me, they all hate me! Stop bringing it up!" he shouted with a shaky voice. Ludwig didn't show emotion and Gilbert didn't expect him to though a part of him may have wished that it wasn't going to be like every other time a rumor has popped up. He took deep breaths but they helped nothing.

"Stop overreacting and stop lying. I'm not angry with you but I'm not surprised either. Gilbert, you know that Roderich had a right to face you about Elizaveta. There was nothing wrong in that action, you would have done the same thing had the roles been reversed, though I imagine you may have done it in a more dramatic way. You always have loved the attention, like today when you stormed off. There was no reason for that kind of reaction, a simple apology would have sufficed. Roderich is quite forgiving despite what you may believe," Ludwig scolded. Gilbert avoided his eyes and tried to pretend that his brother's words were hitting him like a ton of bricks, forcing him deeper into the ground, into the grave.

"What do I look like to you, brother? A villain? A liar? Or just an idiot? Please tell me, because I want to know why my brother doesn't trust me," he said quietly. Ludwig walked over and grabbed his brother's arms.

"I just want what is best for you. Do you think I like seeing you laughed at?" he asked. Gilbert pulled away quickly in pain as his brother held tightly over the places he had just cut. Ludwig, mistaking the gesture, hardened his features and stepped back.

"If you apologize to Elizaveta and Roderich by the end of tomorrow I'm sure your 'reputation' will still be intact," he said. Gilbert laughed, though it lacked any real humor.

"What reputation? The one where I'm desperately in love with Elizaveta and a suicidal idiot?" he asked, resisting the urge to flinch as he realized how true he had made the second half of the rumors.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself and start learning to take responsibility for your actions," Ludwig said before leaving. Gilbert collapsed back into his chair and resisted the urge to cry out or scream. When he heard his brother calling for him again an hour or so later, he crawled into bed and forced himself to sleep.

* * *

_Stupid_

Prussia stopped running once he saw his home, the only place he belonged now.

_Useless_

He walked to the backyard instead of going in and sat with his back against the house.

_Pathetic_

Words from the World Meeting, words from insignificant countries but countries nonetheless, echoed through Prussia's mind relentlessly. He groaned and pressed his head against the wall. He felt like screaming.

"Stop," he whispered. The words, if anything, got louder.

_You're not a country..._

Prussia closed his eyes.

_You're not needed!_

"I am a Prussian, know ye my colors?" he said, trying to distract himself. But the words came out a bit broken, a bit faint. Prussia grit his teeth angrily.

"The flag floats black and white before me," he continued. Again, his voice was wrong and the words refused to be higher than a whisper. Prussia took a deep breath.

"That for my freedom's sake my fathe- oh Fritz, why?" he begged as the words broke in the air again but the thought of his loved leader only made the pain worse. Faintly, though, the thought passed through his mind if he will see Fritz again when the countdown is over. His hands dug into the ground as he attempted again and again to drown out the accusatory voices ringing through his mind.

_Idiot_

His throat began to ache.

_Unneeded _

He couldn't seem the remember the words and thinking was beginning to become hard.

_Weak_

_Mistake_

_Fool_

Prussia gave up, pulled his knees up to his chest, and listened the voices that refused to go away. Even as he slept, they were still there.

* * *

It started with fog. It was calm and cooling where it touched. Prussia would have felt at ease if the voices weren't still there.

_Why are you even alive? _

He swallowed and walked forward, trying to figure out where he was. The mist seemed to go on forever. Prussia was faintly certain that he was going numb, though he didn't understand why. He reached out one more time, as if he could push the fog to the side. He didn't expect his hand to hit something solid.

"Hey!" a familiar voice shouted in an agitated tone. Prussia took a step forward only to freeze at what he saw.

A replica of himself stood before him. Everything seemed to match him, except for the clothing. Prussia tilted his head to the side but widened his eyes in shock when the other him didn't do the same.

"Are you supposed to be some form of alter ego or something?" he asked. The copy scoffed.

"As if, it's the other way around idiot. Is...is this supposed to be one of those psychotic dreams where I meet myself and realized just how important life is or some crap like that?" he asked. Prussia didn't respond but flinched when the voices started to shout.

_You're life isn't important, just die already!_

"So...you're Prussia, though? Right?" he asked, wondering if this made up him was right about it being like those dreams that change a person's life. He couldn't tell whether he wanted that or not. He was broke out of his thoughts as the other one started to laugh.

"What the Hell am I talking about? I'm Gilbert, though I am Prussian," he said with a smile Prussia felt was a bit forced. It looked a bit too much like the ones he gave to everyone.

_No, you're not anything. You're nothing. _

This time the other boy, Gilbert, flinched as well. He looked around with a pained expression.

"They won't stop. You can hear them too, can't you?" he asked, almost pleadingly. Prussia nodded slowly and looked down at where Gilbert was scratching his arm. His sleeve had ridden up to show a series of cuts. Prussia quickly looked away.

"You're not me. We aren't the same person," he said, though he felt his arm to check that the dream hadn't manipulated him in some way.

"Yeah, and this isn't a dream," Gilbert said finally. Prussia looked up into the familiar crimson eyes.

"How can you tell?" he asked. Gilbert's eyes seemed to gain a level of sadness as he gestured towards his cuts.

"It...it hurts," he admitted. Cruel words forced their way through the air.

_You should hurt. I hate you and you're horrible. _

"Why are we here?" Prussia asked. Gilbert smiled again.

"I don't know but I don't mind it. I'd rather stay with you and the voices than with the people where I come from," he said. Prussia laughed.

"Yeah sure, they couldn't beat the people I know," he said. Gilbert looked away.

"I doubt it," he said in a quiet voice. Prussia raised an eyebrow.

"Wanna bet?" he joked. Gilbert looked at him incredulously before raising a hand seriously.

"Yeah, I do actually," he said. Prussia stopped laughing at looked at the hand. With a grin, he reached out to shake it. Once he allowed his hand to drop down, a pain shot through his mind.

"Ah! What is that?" he asked with a look at Gilbert only to see that he was grabbing his own head in pain as well. Prussia fell to his knees and felt suddenly sick. Gilbert fell to his hands and knees with a frightened expression.

_Loser!_

_You lost! _

_Just die!_

_You shouldn't have ever been born! _

Prussia covered his ears with his hands as the voices grew to a roaring thunder that threatened to crack his skull with the volume. It didn't seem to work. He could still hear Gilbert saying "please" and "stop" over and over beside him with his eyes closed. Prussia closed his own eyes and waited for the noise to go away.

It felt like an hour but it could have been a minute. The voices were merely a whisper now and Prussia was lying on his side with his hands still clamped over his ears and his eyes still shut. He didn't dare open his eyes or move, even when it sounded like his brother was calling for him.

* * *

**I feel like it took me too long to get this up. It was nothing but me typing up what I had written in a notebook but I sat here for an hour typing while playing Mein Gott on repeat...**

**Anyways, I think there's only one translation but I have a few explanations as well:**

**-Nein: German for No (if I'm wrong forgive me, I meant to place that on the last chapter's translations as well. I apologize for I only have the reliability of the internet)**

**-Prussia is attempting to say the lines to the Prussian Anthem (again, I apologize sincerely if this is incorrect). The whole of the line he cut off on was "That for my freedom's sake my fathers died".**

**-Prussia is also referring to Frederick the Great, one of Prussia's most loved leaders. He is referred to many times in Hetalia by Prussia, in fondness of course. He refers to him as Old Man Fritz, or General Fritz, and Fritz. **

**Well, I believe that is all so please leave a review of some sort! I really don't care what you say as long you say something!**

**Goodbye my dears, until next time.**


	4. Chapter 4: We Welcome You

**Thank you so much to the people who left reviews! It really means a lot that you guys are liking the story. :D**

**You think I'm just being nice but I do mean it. I fangirl a bit when I see a review. So, again, thank you. I can't emphasize my gratitude enough.**

* * *

Prussia woke up with no memory of how he had gotten to where he was.

Mainly because he had no idea where he was. He blinked again, slower this time but, of course, the darkness didn't change. Though he was certain that he had fallen asleep in late afternoon, outside, he couldn't see anything. He felt as if he something was smothering him and began to struggle as the oxygen in whatever he was under began to get all used up. At this point, he was tossing and turning, mentally taking note of everything he was feeling. So far, he felt he was laying on something softer than the ground he was sitting on and the thing on top of him felt like fabric. Suddenly, light flooded in around him and he looked up to see someone holding a blanket above his head.

"West!" Prussia shouted once his eyes adjusted to the bright light. The other boy looked at him with faint confusion before shaking his head and turning around. Prussia took this chance to sit up and look about.

The first thing he noticed was that he was lying in a bed and that he must have gotten tangled up in the sheet his brother was now folding. Prussia was still confused about how he had gotten there in the first place. When he glanced about the room, his confusion only intensified. It was a place he had never been, or if he had he couldn't remember. Prussia threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He looked over at the blonde now watching him with what could be considered a glare. Prussia ran a hand through his pale hair.

"Umm... West, care to explain where we are?" he asked. The other furrowed his eyebrows together.

"Why are you calling me that?" he asked. Prussia felt a sting of shock and hurt go through him.

"What else would I call you?" he questioned.

"Ludwig," the other said simply, as if it were obvious. Prussia wrinkled his nose and scanned the room once more, feeling absolutely certain that this was part of a cruel prank. When he didn't see anything suspicious, other than the new scenery, he looked back at ...Ludwig.

"Right..." he said finally, deciding to play along. Ludwig watched him curiously before sighing.

"Do you plan on actually going to school today, Gilbert?" he asked.

_I'm Gilbert_

Prussia blinked in shock from the sudden memory. This voice was so different from the taunting ones he usually dealt with. It was playful, understanding, and so similar to his own. Prussia struggled to remember where he heard it before. As he thought, a head ache began to form. He shook his head and tried to answer Ludwig.

"Uh...sure...Wait, what?" he asked, distracted at first until his mind registered what Ludwig had said.

"I didn't see you at all yesterday. I had assumed you had already left for school but apparently not. I don't know where you went but hopefully you've calmed down enough to apologize to Roderich and Elizaveta. Though, I'm not certain why you never changed your clothes. There's still the milk from two days ago," Ludwig explained with a stern tone. Prussia's mouth opened and closed but nothing came out. He tried, and failed, to completely understand what was going on. As he though, he looked down at his clothes. He had no idea what "Ludwig" was talking about, he had never seen this grey shirt or these jeans in his life before. Still he nodded slowly.

"Um, okay then. Yeah, I'll change and we can go," he said in a way he hoped was convincing. If this really was a prank, it would probably be best to play along. Besides, if his brother was in on it then it couldn't hurt to see where he was taking him. When Ludwig nodded sharply and left the room, Prussia followed filled with hopes that wherever they were going would have answers.

* * *

There were no answers.

As soon as Prussia had stepped through the doors of the strange building, a high school no less, Ludwig had made him promise not to ditch. Still under the belief that this was an overly elaborate joke, Prussia had promised. That belief, however, vanished once Ludwig had left him seeming satisfied. Now, Prussia was alone, confused, and among strangers. Strangers that seemed too much like people he knew. As students hurried past him with rude glances, Prussia's eyes lit up with recognition as someone he seemed to know walked right past him.

"Hungary!" he shouted as he ran towards the familiar brown-haired girl. She stopped in a classroom doorway, clutching a group of books to her chest. She looked at Prussia questioningly.

"You have to help me! Where are we? What's wrong with West? What's going on?" he pleaded. The green-eyed girl blinked in confusion a few times before bursting out in cruel laughter. Prussia found himself feeling insulted.

"Have you finally lost it, Gilbert? Or did the milk just get into your brains?" she said. Prussia's annoyance with the situation began to increase.

"Why is everyone calling me Gilbert?" he cried out, eyeing the girl closely. Her laughter faded into an irritated scoff.

"My God! I don't know what you're trying to do but I can assure you that it's stupid," she said. Prussia folded his arms and intended to say back an equally snarky remark, as he and Hungary usually did. However, the girl continued speaking before he could.

"You have no idea how wonderful everything was yesterday. After you never showed up we were all certain you had run away or cut your countdown early. Now I'm so disappointed. Hm, I'm certain we all are," she said. With a small, satisfied laugh, the turned and walked away.

"You should know better than to talk to her. You must have learned that by now," A British voice said from behind him. Anger rose up in Prussia as he recognized the who was speaking. Quickly, he spun to face him.

"You've got something to say about it, Eyebrows?" he growled. The Brit blinked in genuine surprise.

"What? No, I was just offering some advice. Believe it or not, I am on your side and would appreciate it if you called me by my name," he responded. Prussia scoffed and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah? And what would that be?" he asked. The blonde before him appeared absolutely offended.

"Arthur Kirkland. If you haven't realized, I am in your first hour. Advanced History, that is. Speaking of which, we'll be late soon. Let's go."

* * *

"Okay, so explain everything to me again, like I'm an idiot. Who is everyone?" Prussia asked, gesturing with a pencil he was borrowing from Arthur. It was only when they had gotten in the class that he had realized that he had no supplies with him. Even if he knew where the locker was, he doubted he could get in. Arthur, at least, had an extra. Prussia had decided it would be safest to stay around him. Though he had done so with either a snide or confused remark, Arthur had answered all of his questions so far.

"Alfred Jones, Elizaveta Héderváry, Lovino Vargas, Matthew Williams, Kiku Honda..." Arthur rattled off a list of names for the people Prussia had assumed were countries. As Arthur continued to name them, Prussia paid close attention and tried to make sense of what was going on.

_Gilbert._ The name seemed so familiar but Prussia couldn't remember why. He had heard it before, if only once, but he couldn't help feeling as if it were something...important...

Prussia felt the headache from before begin to return.

"Gilbert! Are you alright? You're certain you didn't hit your head when you fell?" Arthur asked. Though he had no clue what he was talking about, Prussia grinned.

"Whatever, I'm fine. The awesome me would never do that," he joked back as the bell finally rang. Arthur's eyes widened slightly but he shook his head and answered Prussia's question about who the teacher was. Prussia gave him a wide smile and thanks. Again, the Brit shook his head.

"You're much too happy for someone with a countdown," he said tiredly to himself, too quiet for Prussia to feel certain he had heard him correctly. The two grew quiet as the teacher, Mr. Vargas as Arthur had said. began to speak. Prussia began to tune everything out as he tapped his fingers against the desk.

"Gilbert...Gilbert!" Mr. Vargas said moments later. Prussia looked up, slightly annoyed.

"Ja?" he asked. The teacher grimaced.

"I asked you a question. Do you have an answer?" he challenged. Prussia's irritation grew.

"Well," he asked, crossing his arms over the desk, "what was the question?" A few students laughed, though it seemed it was directed more at him than at his response. Mr. Vargas raised an eyebrow.

"Perhaps if you paid attention in class you would know," he said instead of answering. When Prussia said nothing, the teacher sighed and continued.

"I asked if you had your essay done. It was due yesterday but you seemed unwilling to attend my class," he said.

"Oh! ...Which one?" Prussia asked. Again, the class laughed at him., louder this time. He could hear Arthur sighing ,exasperated, and complaining to Matthew, the Canada look-alike behind him.

"The only paper I have assigned this semester. Listen Gilbert, I consider myself a reasonable man. I gave you class time to work on it, answered questions, and allowed you to choose your own topic. Now, if I remember correctly, you chose Prussia. Now, do you have the paper?" Mr. Vargas asked in a slow, too calm voice. Prussia could feel the threats behind it but he couldn't help from glaring at the ground as the teacher mentioned his name, his nation.

"Why Prussia?" he grumbled. Surely there were other topics this Gilbert could have chosen, topics that actually held importance.

"Maybe because you claim you are Prussian to anyone that asks, as strange as that it. Now, I have wasted enough of class to argue with you. Please, see me after school," Mr. Vargas said. Prussia grit his teeth but nodded as Mr. Vargas continued to teach. He couldn't shove down the anger that had started to fester inside of him. He shouldn't have been here to begin with! This wasn't his life, it wasn't his name, it wasn't his fault. Some stupid, Prussian Gilbert should be here, not him.

_Gilbert_

Prussia's head was still aching, worse and worse each time the name said or thought of. A calm voice appeared in his mind each time, repeating lines that Prussia couldn't remember saying or hearing.

_I'm Gilbert_

Was he Gilbert? Was Prussia just an alter persona he had created to escape this life? Prussia nearly laughed. That idea was too impossible, even for him. He wasn't a Prussian, he was Prussia itself.

_but..._

As he thought of Prussia and Prussians and Gilberts and voices, memories that felt like dreams flooded into his mind. Those crimson eyes widened and his mouth opened into an O as he remembered. He remembered fog and mist and someone just like him.

_I'm Gilbert...but I am Prussian..._

"Oh," he whispered, slumping down in his chair, "Oh, Gilbert."

* * *

**Another chapter up and done with. How are you guys liking the story so far? This chapter working for you? I hope so.**

**Because there's so much I want to explore in each world, I'm going let Prussia and Gilbert have their own chapters. It may make the story a bit longer, but it will also help develop what I feel are key plot points.**

**Can you tell that a day passed between the last chapter and this one? I hope so...I tried to make sure it was clear but if I confused you, I'm sorry. **

**Umm...oh yeah, Mr. Vargas is supposed to Grandpa Rome. When I was writing this, it going to be a random made up teacher but Rome kept popping up in my mind so...yeah apparently he wished to be in the story as well...**

**So, again, I'm going to be a greedy person asking for reviews because I love them so much. Also again, I'm going to thank anyone that reviewed this story, along with the people who followed or faved. It truly does make me so happy. I am forever grateful. :)**


	5. Chapter 5: Is This Escape?

**Forgive me for the late update! I felt so bad whenever I saw the notebook I keep my fanfics in... but with finals a few weeks ago and I finally got an actual job schedule and then I was traveling around I couldn't find anytime to even type this up. Still, I hope you aren't too angry if I kept you waiting! I've been trying to post a chapter a week and I blew it on the fifth chapter...nice job Charlotte...**

**Anyways, I had major writer's block with this one because I didn't want it to just be a repeat of Prussia's experience so I guess Gilbert is just a bit more perceptive? Yeah, I'm not entirely sure if I like how this chapter turned out but I really did just want to make sure it was up for you guys. I hope it's not too repetitive or out of character or anything... Either way, I hope you enjoy!  
**

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Gilbert still remembered falling to the ground as the voices of people he knew shouted at him over and over, louder and louder. His head hurt from just the thought of it but he couldn't forget the words that haunted him. He couldn't forget how they always seemed to follow him. At school, at home, online, in the streets, _in his own mind._ No, he couldn't forget.

But he also couldn't forget him, the one he had thoughts was Gilbert as well. He had been so similar with the same demon voices and people he needed to get away from. Gilbert hadn't paid attention to those facts when he made the deal, all he could think about was getting out. All he could hear leaving the other boy's mouth was a chance at escape. Yet, when the voices around him seemed to change, saying things Gilbert had never been told, he felt as if he had made a mistake. The weight of panic settled heavily on his chest. Though it hurt like hell, Gilbert had opened his eyes and forced himself to sit back up. He watched the other boy, the one like him, begin to become just a blurry shape as the mist encircled them both, almost a bit too tightly. He tried to stand, to follow where the other was disappearing.

_No! Don't leave me alone! I can't be by myself again! Where am I? Who are you? What's going on?_

All the things Gilbert tried to say caught in his throat as the air thickened, forcing him back on the ground. It grew darker and stronger until it felt like his was drowning in a black sea. Gilbert's heart beat fast until the fog faded away, leaving him in a strange new place. He was suddenly sitting with his back against a house, staring at a landscape of a low fog and dimly lit plains. The morning seemed to just be beginning.

The first thing Gilbert did was check his scars.

He pushed back the light blue material of what he was now wearing and looked at his arm. Whatever the fog had changed, he wanted to be sure it hadn't changed him. Gilbert ran his fingers over the red marks. Yes, they were still there.

"Prussia!" someone inside the house was shouting. Gilbert paid it no attention though he vaguely remembered the other asking him if he was Prussia.

"Prussia!" the voice was closer now and Gilbert noted that it sounded strangely like his brother. Slowly, the pale haired boy stood up.

"Ludwig?" he called back curiously. There was a thunder of footsteps from inside until the back door opened. Gilbert walked towards it, smiling at the blonde holding it open.

"What did you call me?" the blonde asked. Gilbert took a while to answer, too shocked at his brother's sudden appearance. Yes, he sounded and looked like Ludwig but the question and much too official clothing caught Gilbert off guard. For the life of him, he couldn't imagine a reason for Ludwig to be dressed so much like a soldier. His smiled faded and his eyebrows came together in confusion.

"Ludwig...but why are you here?" he asked. The other narrowed his eyes.

"Prussia, I came home yesterday but you were nowhere to be found. England and America saw you run off and assumed you had gone home. Evidently not. Where were you?" he asked. Gilbert felt a surge of déjà vu as what looked like his brother began to scold him for running off.

"Umm, sorry? But...then you aren't Ludwig? You're calling me Prussia like he did so..." Gilbert began to muse aloud, oblivious to the other boy's growing irritation. Eventually, Gilbert made up his mind to go along with it. He looked up with a wide smile.

"Sorry. Is there anyone inside? Are...er...America and England still here?" he asked, not entirely certain why everyone seemed to be named after a nation. Not for the first time, Gilbert began to hope for some answers to appear.

"Nein, only Italy and his brother. Now come inside, I still expect an answer about your whereabouts," the blonde said. Gilbert nodded and followed him in.

"I can't believe you, damn it! You didn't tell me we were going to the damn potato bastard's house!" an angry Italian voice shouted as the door opened. Gilbert cringed as he recognized the voice.

"Ve~ but fratello, Germany is really nice once you get to know him!" another person responded, sounding like Feliciano Vargas. Once Gilbert went inside, the other Italian began to complain again.

"Ach! They're both here, you idiota!"

Again, Gilbert cringed as his rested on the two that had spoken. Sure enough, as he had suspected the two appeared to be Lovino and Feliciano Vargas. He smiled widely at the two and tried to discern which one was supposed to be Italy.

"Germany!" the one that looked like Feliciano shouted. Gilbert made a small noise of slight understanding when he saw the blonde next to him respond to the name "Germany". He folded his arms and tried to make sense of what was going on as the other Italian brother cast hateful glances back at him and...Germany. Gilbert sighed just a bit as he wondered if it would be rude to ask who was who.

"Veneziano! Let's go home!" the angrier Italian shouted suddenly.

"Oh! You're Veneziano, so you must be Italy," Gilbert said before he could stop himself, turning to face the one that looked like Lovino. He felt quite proud with this deduction and smiled brightly at Germany, ignoring the questioning looks the now quiet people were giving him. The Italian he was looking at scowled at him.

"What the fucking hell are you talking about, you damned potato bastard two? Of course I'm Italy, you jerk, and don't you damn forget it," he started to shout.

"Vé? Vé? But Romano, I'm Italy too!" Veneziano whined gripping his brother's arm tightly.

"Wait...but Veneziano...and Romano?" Gilbert said, confused, as he watched the brothers begin to bicker. Germany sighed deeply, sounding a bit too much like Ludwig's constant disappointment.

"Mein Gott Prussia," he said in an irritated tone.

"But you said that Italy and his brother were here! What the Hell does that even _mean _Lud- ah - Germany?" Gilbert asked desperately.

"They're _both _Italy, Prussia. Italy Veneziano is more commonly called Italy than his brother, Italy Romano. You know that Prussia, as you know that Romano is sensitive about the subject. Why do you have to always make problems?" Germany replied.

"Uh...sorry," Gilbert responded quietly. Germany sighed beside him.

"Hungary said to have you call her when you finally decided to show up. Why don't you go do that?" Germany said. Gilbert nodded and stepped back outside. As he left, he could hear Germany start to yell at Italy and then Romano begin to shout about Germany leaving his brother alone. Gilbert would have laughed had he not felt like he had just let down this world's Ludwig the way he let down his. Once outside, Gilbert sighed and brushed his hands over his pockets. He hoped that there was a phone in one of them and that it wasn't too different and that the contacts had labels and...

Something began vibrating from one of the pockets and Gilbert fumbled as he hurried to find it. His sigh turned into one of relief as his hand wrapped around a cell phone not too different from his own. The thing kept vibrating with the word "Hungary" flashing across the screen. With another deep breath of relief, Gilbert answered it.

"Hey! I was just about to call you, you know," he said in a voice that sounded only a bit confused and a lot more forced. He hoped he wasn't acting differently than the real Prussia would.

"Where were you yesterday?" a harsh voice asked through the phone. Gilbert froze.

"Eliza-Elizaveta!?" he asked incredulously.

"What? What are you talking about? Prussia, I asked you a question, don't change the subject!" Hungary responded. Gilbert's grip on the phone tightened almost painfully.

"What's going on?" he asked quietly. Doubts and paranoia began to fill his mind.

_Gott...it's another one of their pranks isn't? It's quite extreme though. How could they make me see another me? Not that I'd put something like this below, everyone certainly hates me enough and that is definitely Elizveta's voice...I'm such a fucking idiot! ...but Ludwig? Why would Ludwig...?_

"What do you want, Elizaveta? What's going on!?" he asked again. There was some silence on the other side until the girl decided to speak again.

"Prussia, I need you to calm down. You're acting insane. Who's Elizaveta? Why do you keep calling me that?" she asked. Gilbert grit his teeth and refused to answer.

"Prussia, you're scaring me," Hungary continued, trying to get him to speak. Gilbert barked a laugh.

"Cut it out. I don't know what joke you're playing but it's sick, ok? I don't expect you to actually answer me but I want to know what you think is going on. Please, enlighten me," he said. Again, there was a pause. A moment passed until Hungary answered.

"I think something happened and you're confused. You don't know what's going on and you definitely don't know what you're talking about! Honestly, I don't know what to think! Unless, of course, you're still upset about the World Meeting. You are, aren't you? Oh, that's just like you," she said. Gilbert had no idea what she was talking about and laughed again as she continued this prank.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," he said in response to her uncooperative attitude about the situation. If only she would admit it was a prank!

"What? Prussia, can't you be serious for once? You're acting completely stupid and...well...not awesome!" she shouted. Gilbert grinned wryly, though the words stung deeper than Hungary knew.

"Goodbye Elizaveta," he said before ending the call. Gilbert, more hurt and confused than before, stalked back into the house to demand the answers he felt he deserved.

* * *

**I just love getting reviews from you guys, it makes my day and I sit at my computer smiling like an idiot... :D**

**I should have probably posted that at the beginning but then I got another review while typing this up and (after spending a good few minutes smiling to myself and trying to hug the followers and favorites and reviews through the computer) decided to just put it down here. You'll see it either way, right?**

**So, while I was traveling about, I spent most of the time in the car listening to music and conjuring up other fanfiction plots, something I am guilty of doing all the time. Anyways, I ended up writing the beginning chapters of a new fanfiction so (after a not so quick discussion with my sister about it) I might have two fanfictions running at the same time but I also probably won't start posting that one until there's a few more chapters placed in this one. The other fanfiction is still going to be angst like this one but will have a pairing in it. The pairing is one of those rare pairs or whatever they're called so that's adding a bit to the hold off on posting it... I'm also going to be a bad person to Prussia in it...again...I don't know why I like hurting the ones I love most...**

**Well, that's about it! Thanks for reading, I love you all! **

**:D**


	6. Chapter 6: Little Mercies

**I am so sorry for the late update! I really do feel awful...again. I would blame work but that's only half the truth. In all honesty, I was lazy for a week after my computer crashed and deleted the chapter after I had typed all of it up. It really got me down and I threw a horrible fit and refused to even look at the story for a while. Until, you know, now. Yes, all of the guilt has caught up to me...**

**Anyway, same warnings as usual, though not quite as extreme cursing, suicidal thoughts, or bullying. **

**Disclaimer: Charlotte still doesn't own Hetalia**

**To the people that reviewed, I honestly love you all so much. :) Yes, ten Prussia Awesome points to each of you! You're amazing. **

* * *

Prussia's walk to Mr. Vargas' room after school was a long and tedious one. Sure it may not have been as bad as he was imagining it but after the day he had, he felt entitled to some aggravation.

The students he passed weren't helping either.

"Hey Gil, I heard you were having an identity crisis this morning. Or was it just another way to hit on Elizaveta?" one shouted out, followed by a few snickers. Prussia ignored them.

"Ha! I wouldn't put it past him," another added as Prussia attempted to keep his pace. Though the words were meant for Gilbert and not him, they reminded him too much of the nations that seemed to despise him. He forced his steps to be calm and steady when all he wanted was to run.

"C'mon Gilbert! You oughta have something to say," the other students continued, mocking and laughing. It was getting pretty damn annoying.

"Finally," he sighed in relief when he found Mr. Vargas' room. He shoved open the door and slammed it behind him. The teacher, sitting in his desk and staring at papers, looked up and raised an eyebrow. He glanced back and forth from Prussia and the door before leaning back in his chair and sighing.

"Was that really necessary?" he questioned. Prussia didn't respond but instead stormed angrily to the teacher's desk and raised an eyebrow in return.

"You're the one who wanted me here," he said simply. Mr. Vargas narrowed his eyes and gestured for Prussia to take a seat. Prussia slid into the desk nearest the front and waited for Mr. Vargas to speak. The man shuffled a few papers, set them aside, and then looked at Prussia.

"Do you know what this is about, Gilbert?" he asked in a tone that was almost bored. Prussia scoffed.

"I'm assuming it's about that stupid essay about that stupid ex-nation," he spat out bitterly, averting his eyes from the teacher's gaze.

Mr. Vargas actually _laughed._

"No, no, though trust me when I say I wish it was something as simple as that. No, Gilbert. You see, that's a small piece of the big picture. We are here to discuss, well, nearly everything," he said, leaning forward in his desk with a wide, friendly smile. Prussia was not amused.

"Everything," he repeated. Again, Mr. Vargas laughed, though it wasn't as genuine as the first time.

"_Nearly_ everything," he said, emphasizing the 'nearly'. His tone was a bit condescending and Prussia bit back a smart remark, instead folding his arms over his chest. Mr. Vargas pulled a few papers off of his desk and stood, all pretense of friendliness gone. Prussia watched as the other man sighed and placed a paper on Prussia's desk. It had two columns. The first was filled with titles such as "Reading Check Questions" and "French Revolution Poster". The second column was a series of X's or check-marks. The top of the list was mainly check-marks with a few X's scattered between them. However, as Prussia's eyes scanned further down the page, he noticed a significant increase in X's until they greatly outnumbered the check-marks. The top of the page read "Gilbert Bielschmidt: World History". Prussia looked up, confused.

"What I have given you is a list of every assignment we've had in this class so far. Each X is placed by an assignment that was not turned in. If you look at your other classes, I can assure you that this is a common pattern," Mr. Vargas said. He looked at Prussia expectantly.

"What? Oh, um, sorry?" Prussia said, a bit confused and more than slightly annoyed. Not for the first time today, Prussia was getting scolded for Gilbert's actions. Mr. Vargas seemed to ignore him.

"Originally, this meeting was going to be about the missing essay, as you had assumed. It is the last, not to mention biggest, grade I mean to put in before the semester is over. A zero on this paper will drop your grade considerably and, despite your recent behavior, I doubt you would wish to fail my class. However, as I looked through these papers, one thing stood out to me," Mr. Vargas stopped to draw a line across the paper he had given Prussia, "This is where you stopped turning in your work, in every class. Now, that doesn't suggest laziness or stupidity. I see something a bit bigger, I suppose." Again, there was a pause and Prussia considered saying something in return. By the time he thought of a response, though, Mr. Vargas was speaking again.

"I want to know what happened on October thirty-first."

What?

"Or, at least what happened around that time," Mr. Vargas said, setting the rest of the papers on Prussia's desk. Prussia didn't bother looking at them.

"Umm, why?" Prussia asked, thoroughly confused. He considered his options. He didn't want to have to lie. Chances were that it would only cause him, and Gilbert, more problems once the truth came to light. Denial seemed to be the best option. When Gilbert got back he could fix things himself.

_If _he got back. Prussia felt the smallest amount of worry begin to make its way through his mind as he wondered if Gilbert would be coming back at all. The worry changed to confusion as he wondered if he wanted to go back at all.

"Look, either way, is it really appropriate for a teacher to be prying into a student's life?" Prussia said before Mr. Vargas could answer his first question. The teacher, again, narrowed his eyes.

"I'm merely concerned and this type of defensive behavior doesn't put my mind to ease. Now, look. All I know of that weekend is that you and your classmates had some form of party and that there was an incident followed by nasty rumors. I only vaguely remember your name being mentioned so forgive me if I need a refresher. Either way, the following week was when you began to slack on your work until nothing was turned in at all. I just want to know why. Yes, I realize that many other of your teachers have spoken to you about this but I assume that they got nowhere," Mr. Vargas said.

"What makes you say that?" Prussia challenged.

"You're still not turning in assignments," Mr. Vargas said.

Well, Prussia supposed the man did have a point there but it wasn't like it was actually his assignments or his responsibility. He leaned back in his desk and allowed his eyes to scan over the papers scattered over his desk. The corners of his mouth lifted in a cruel mockery of a smile.

_Oh, Gilbert, you've left a mess, haven't you? Not like I can complain, though. I could only imagine what you're going through now. I only hope England and America left, for you sake..._

"Gilbert! Are you listening?" Mr. Vargas asked. Prussia blinked at the realization that the teacher hadn't actually stopped talking as Prussia had assumed. With a sigh, Prussia stood and collected the papers that had been placed before them.

"Look, nothing happened on, what was it? The thirty-first? Yeah, nothing," he said.

_Nothing I would know about anyway._

Mr. Vargas didn't say anything until Prussia was already turning the handle of the door.

"Gilbert?" he said, as if something had just occurred to him. Prussia froze and grit his teeth, letting his breath out in an annoyed hiss. All he wanted to do was get out of here and clear his head but apparently he couldn't even do that. He looked back slowly and faked another smile.

"Yeah?" he asked. If the teacher could tell he was annoyed, he didn't say anything about it.

"You're a smart kid, one of the smartest in my history class by far. I don't want you to fail so I'll give you a chance. If you can get your essay in before I finalize grades, which is the last day of the semester, I'll see what credit I can give you," Mr. Vargas finished, not looking at Prussia as he spoke. Prussia shrugged off the words. Maybe if he were Gilbert he would be able to see this as an encouraging ray of hope. But he was Prussia and the words meant nothing.

"Yeah, whatever," he said, finally leaving the room and heading towards the school's exit.

* * *

After the meeting with Mr. Vargas, Prussia had run into someone in his rush to leave the school. The boy, he had found out after apologizing profusely, was Matthew Williams. Prussia recognized him from class, the one that looked like Canada. It was remarkable to Prussia that the two were so alike. Like Canada, Matthew was kind, soft-spoken, and even had the same unique shade of violet in his eyes. Prussia almost laughed when he had learned he was Canadian as well. Matthew had quietly said that he had seen Ludwig leave school a few minutes before Prussia had run into him and asked if Prussia would want some company on his walk home. Prussia barely knew where "home" was and took the boy up on his offer. Not long after, Arthur had chased after them cursing about how that bloody git had left him. If Arthur was anything like England, Prussia had a pretty good idea who he was talking about. However, before Prussia could ask about a certain American, Arthur asked how the meeting had went. Reluctantly, Prussia told them what Mr. Vargas had said.

"Really? I didn't think he could be that merciful. You should consider yourself lucky," Arthur said.

"Yeah, I would if I at least had the motivation to write the thing. About Prussia, no less," he laughed harshly. Matthew sent him a strange look.

"You like Prussia," he said in his quiet voice. Prussia laughed again, bitterly.

"I must be an idiot," he said more to himself than anything. When he saw the glance passed between the two blondes beside him though, he smiled to cover up his confusion.

_You're not needed_

England's words appeared in his mind and it made Prussia look down at Arthur. It amazed him that, though he looked and acted the same as the nation that hated him, he was one of the few who had shown him kindness throughout the day.

"An awesome idiot," he revised. It was clear that the two grew uncomfortable when he said something against himself and the last thing he wanted to do was drive them away. However, the added adjective seemed to affect them more and the conversation faded to silence.

"Shit!" Arthur stopped walking and cursed suddenly. He glanced at his watch for a moment before his green eyes scanned the neighborhood the trio had wandered into.

"Where the bloody hell are we?" he asked a bit angrily. Prussia looked at Matthew who looked as confused as he.

"Um, well, I was following Gilbert," he admitted. In an instant, a boulder of blame settled on Prussia's shoulders. Arthur looked at him.

"Are we close to your house? Mine is on the other side of this subdivision and I have to babysit my brat of a neighbor, Peter," he said and Prussia realized with relief that Arthur's anger was directed at Peter and not him. Still, the glaring green eyes made him hesitate to tell him that he had no idea where the house was.

"Oh, it's fine," he said brightly, "you two can head back. I'll see you tomorrow."

Again, Matthew and Arthur shared a look that Prussia couldn't understand.

"Well, I suppose you should be alright on the way back," Arthur said, his anger fading into something that looked like concern. Prussia immediately shook that idea out of his mind. It was too foreign an idea to him.

"Ja, of course! What could go wrong?" he asked jokingly but Matthew wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Your countdown could go wrong," Arthur said dryly with a hint of resent. Matthew's head snapped up and his gaze seemed to glint in warning.

"What are you talking about?" Prussia asked. Arthur's tone reminded him of England's and he fell into his own defensive voice. Pity flickered across Arthur's features before he looked away.

"The one on your bloody stupid blog and that even stupider post. I've half a mind to- oh forget it," Arthur's voice began to rise with anger until he cut himself off with a disgusted sound.

"Goodbye Matthew, goodbye Gilbert. I had _better _see both of you tomorrow," he said with a pointed look at Prussia before leaving. Matthew gave a half-hearted wave before turning and sheepishly explaining to Prussia that he needed to get home early to help his mother begin dinner for some business guests his father was bringing over. When Prussia didn't seem to get it, Matthew said his house was in the other direction. Prussia, of course, smiled widely and said it was fine for Matthew to leave. Once the quiet boy was gone, the ex-nation sighed,

"Now, where is home?"

* * *

It took an hour later and an angry call from Ludwig for Prussia to finally end up at the right house. By then, he was too tired to come up with an excuse and ignored Ludwig as he stalked about the house. The blonde was not amused and said as much as Prussia searched the building for the room he had woken up in, Gilbert's room he assumed. When he finally found it, he smiled in tired relief. Though it was still unfamiliar to him, a strange feeling of security seemed to wash over his irritation.

"Gilbert, are you listening to me?" Ludwig asked, clearly annoyed. Prussia groaned and leaned against the door frame.

"If I hear that one more time..." he muttered. Ludwig raised an eyebrow.

"What?" he asked. Prussia gave a deep sigh before shaking his head.

"Nothing, never mind. I'll be in my room if you need me, ok?" he said, not bothering to wait for Ludwig's answer. It didn't seem the blonde wished to bother him further as footsteps were heard retreating down the hall. Prussia's eyes scanned the room before landing on a laptop.

_The one on your bloody stupid blog..._

Prussia decided a bit of snooping around couldn't hurt. If he was meant to be Gilbert for the foreseeable future, he may as well do his research. He found the mouse for the computer hanging off the desk and, after replacing it on the mouse pad, he shook it around to get rid of the black screen. After a few seconds, a default desktop image faded into view. Prussia opened the internet and checked the history.

**The Awesome Blog Made By... _last visited 2 days ago_**

Blog...seemed the best place to start. Prussia sank into the chair and confidently clicked on it.

* * *

**Ok...now we hope the computer and internet don't fail me this time...**

**I love the reviews and I'll try my hardest to take the advice given. I hope that this one had less typos or grammar issues. Hopefully but, knowing me, I probably used the wrong "to" in there or something...**

**Anyway, would it be selfish to ask for reviews for this, even if it's to point out an error? I certainly hope not because that's exactly what I'm going to do...**

**Please review and, even if you don't, thank you so much for reading this far and giving it a chance!**


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